Legislative branch The legislative branch, being a bicameral, has two houses, which combined are known as the Parliament of Pakistan (
Urdu: مجلسِ شوریٰ پاکستان,
English:
Consultative Council of Pakistan: • The
National Assembly, presided by
Speaker of the National Assembly of Pakistan, deputed by the
Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly of Pakistan, is the
lower house and has 336 members (according to new census and emerging of FATA) . 266 General members are elected directly by the people, while 60 seats are reserved for women and 10 seats for religious minorities. • The
Senate, presided by
Chairman of the Senate of Pakistan, deputed by
Deputy Chairman of the Senate of Pakistan. is the
upper house and has 96 senators elected indirectly by members of respective provincial assemblies for the term of six-year terms. The Parliament enjoys
parliamentary supremacy. All the Cabinet ministers as well as the Prime Minister must be members of Parliament (MPs), according to the constitution. The Prime Minister and the Cabinet Ministers are jointly accountable to the Parliament. If there is a policy failure or lapse on the part of the government, all the members of the cabinet are jointly responsible. If a
vote of no confidence is passed against the government, then the government collapses and a new one must be formed.
Executive branch By general definition, the
executive branch of government is the one that has sole
authority and
responsibility for the daily administration of the
state bureaucracy. The division of power into separate branches of government is central to the republican idea of the
separation of powers. The separation of powers system is designed to distribute authority away from the executive branch – an attempt to preserve individual liberty in response to tyrannical leadership throughout history.
Prime Minister and Cabinet The
Prime Minister of Pakistan (
Urdu: ; lit:
Wazir-e- Azam), is the executive
head of government of Pakistan, constitutionally designated as the
Chief Executive (CE). after the retirement of the Prime Minister, an interim (or Caretaker) Prime Minister is appointed by the President of Pakistan after consulting incumbent Prime Minister and the
Leader of the Opposition of the national assembly. The Prime Minister must a Muslim citizens of Pakistan of above 25 years of age. There have been 20 different
Prime Ministers of Pakistan, with 24 different tenures, where only three people (
Benazir Bhutto,
Nawaz Sharif, and
Shehbaz Sharif) to become Prime Minister of Pakistan more than once. None of them complete their 5 years tenure. Pakistan also has had 4
Caretaker Prime Ministers. The Prime Minister makes key appointments on various important positions, including; • The
federal secretaries as head of cabinet- level ministries • The
chief secretaries of the provinces • Key administrative and military personnel in the
Pakistan Armed Forces • The chairmen of large public sector organisations and corporations such as
NHA,
TCP,
PNSC, etc. • The chairmen and other members of the federal commissions and public institutions • Ambassadors and High Commissioners to other countries The
Cabinet can have a maximum of 11 percent (50 members including the Prime Minister) of the total strength of the
Parliament. Each Cabinet member must be a member of Parliament (MP). The Minister can be from the either house of the Parliament, but maximum 1/4th of the Ministers can be from the Senate. The
Cabinet Ministers chair the Cabinet and are further assisted by the
Cabinet Secretary of Pakistan, whose appointment comes from the
Civil Services of Pakistan. Other Ministers are
Ministers of State, junior members who report directly to one of the Cabinet Ministers, often overseeing a specific aspect of government. The
President of Pakistan, officially the
President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is the ceremonial
head of state of
Pakistan and the
commander-in-chief of the
Pakistan Armed Forces. The office of president was created upon the
proclamation of Islamic Republic on 23 March 1956. The then serving
governor-general,
Major-General Iskander Mirza, assumed office as the first president. Following the
1958 ''coup d'etat'', the office of
prime minister was abolished, leaving the Presidency as the most powerful office in the country. This position was further strengthened when the
1962 Constitution was adopted. It turned Pakistan into a
Presidential Republic, giving all executive powers to the president. In 1973, the
new Constitution established
Parliamentary democracy and reduced president's role to a ceremonial one. Nevertheless, the
military takeover in 1977 reversed the changes. The
8th Amendment turned Pakistan into a
semi-presidential republic and in the period between 1985 and 2010, the executive power was shared by president and prime minister. The
18th Amendment in 2010 restored
Parliamentary Democracy in the country, and reduced presidency to a ceremonial position. The constitution prohibits the president from directly running the government. Instead, the executive power is exercised on his behalf by the
prime minister who keeps him informed on all matters of internal and
foreign policy, as well as all legislative proposals. The Constitution however, vests the president with the powers of granting
pardons, reprieves, and the
control over the
military; however, all appointments at higher commands of the
military must be made by the President on a "required and necessary" basis, upon
consultation and approval from the prime minister. The president is indirectly elected by the
Electoral College for a five-year term. The Constitution requires the president to be a "
Muslim of not less than forty five (45) years of age". The president resides in an estate in
Islamabad known as
Aiwan-e-Sadar (President's House). In his absence, the
chairman of Senate exercises the responsibilities of the post, until the actual president resumes office, or the next office holder is
elected. There have been a total of
13 presidents. The first president was
Iskander Ali Mirza who entered office on 23 March 1956. The current office holder is
Asif Ali Zardari, who took charge on 10 March 2024, following his victory in the
2023 elections.
Judicial branch Pakistan's independent judicial system began under the
British Raj, and its concepts and procedures resemble those of
Anglo-Saxon countries. Institutional and judicial procedures were later changed, in 1950s, under the influence of American legal system to remove the fundamental rights problems.
Judicature transfer The Constitution grants powers to the Supreme Court to make judicature transfers. Although the proceedings in the Supreme Court arise out of the judgement or orders made by the subordinate courts, the Supreme Court reserves the right to transfer any case, appeal or proceedings pending before any High Court to any other High Court.
Supreme Judicial Council Misconduct of judges is highly intolerable as is mentioned in the constitution. Under the mainframe of the
Supreme Judicial Council Article 209 an inquiry into the capacity or conduct of a Judge, who is a member of the council, may be conducted. ==Civil service==